Affliction
by lestat ga sukida
Summary: Mysterious happenings cause Edward to appear at Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned Full Metal Alchemist or Harry Potter. Both belong to people much more creative and fortunate than me.

Author's Notes: Yes it has been years. Many many years. I just lost inspiration for this story. After looking it over and thinking about it, I just didn't like it anymore. So I am rewriting so it's not as terrrrrible as it was before. Hopefully this will be better and people will still continue to like it.

_******_

_Prologue_

A flash of white in the darkness, the sound of someone, a young girl running, running, her eyes wide and terrified and her face a mask of terror. Her arms clutched something to her chest as she ran, a small bundle. Her pursuers were calm and confidant. Their dark robes flowed out behind them as they ran, chasing the girl down.

Her heavy gasps tore through her chests as she zigged and zagged frantically through the forest trying to escape. The pursuers were silent, not even seeming to be winded. Sweat dripped down her face, into her eyes. Suddenly, the small bundle that she had been clutching to her chest squirmed and started to give out a strangled cry. The girl looked down trying to calm the baby. Her distraction from the chase cost her. She tripped over a tree root in the dark. She fell down, managed to cushion the infant from the fall, and gave a small sob as she saw that her tormentors were close. Trying to scramble to her feet, she felt something whip out and wrap around her ankle.

She felt herself being pulled backwards through the forest towards those who were hunting her. She reached out a hand and tried to grab onto anything that could stop her. She felt her hand and back being sliced open over the rough ground, finally giving up on slowing herself down, wrapped both arms over the baby and prayed.

******

Edward Elric was eating lunch. Sure, afterwards he had to go and report to Colonel Bastard afterwards, but for once Alphonse was not trying to force him to drink his milk nor had anyone called him short. It had been a good morning so far. Plus the food was delicious.

"Brother, are you done yet? That's your fourth plate."

"Al, isf dewificious. " Ed swallowed. "Seriously, I don't think I have ever had anything this good in forever. "

Al sighed. Sometimes it seemed like Ed could eat Amestris out of house and home in one sitting. His stomach was almost a bottomless pit. "Brother, you know Colonel Mustang wanted you to give your report at noon. It's half past now."

Ed swallowed the last bite of lunch and patted his stomach. "Fine, Al, let's go. Besides it's not like that bastard hasn't made us wait on him before, or withheld information. He deserves to wait a little while until I finish lunch."

Al, though his face was of rigid steel, managed to get across his glare at Ed. "That does not mean that you should stoop to his level."

Ed waved his hand carelessly at Al and snorted. "Psh, Al, it's not like we have anything vital to tell him. A little half hour wait is not going to kill him. Besides, he probably knows what we were doing anyway. He always knows…."

Ed was abruptly cut off. A transmutation circle had suddenly appeared beneath his feet. He tried to run and jump his way out before the reaction could finish. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, his feet seemed to be glued to the pavement of the city sidewalk.

"Brother! What's going on?" Al yelled while he tried to reach Ed. The force of the reaction however, kept him from reaching his brother.

Ed clapped his hands together and to try and disrupt whatever was happening. Before he could place his hands are the ground he was standing somewhere that was eerily familiar. Two huge doors loomed before him. He could feel the terror building inside him but tried to quash it down. The Gate crashed open and he could see the millions of eyes peering out at him. Their shadowy hands reached and grabbed him, smothering him in their eagerness. They dragged him through the Gate and Ed blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

Ed felt like something had decided that he made a rug. He body felt like people had been walking all over him for weeks on end. He could feel the bruises starting to bloom on his back and ribs. Even his automail limbs ached like it was winter, despite his being able to distinctly able to feel the warmth surrounding him. He could hear voices talking nearby but couldn't make out anything that was being said. Even the voices themselves sounded strange. He groaned as he felt a sharp pain bounce from one side of his head to the other.

The voices stopped talking. He could hear footsteps coming towards him. Ed tried opening his eyes to see who was walking over to him. Bright light lanced straight through his eyes, and suddenly a headache was pounding at his temples. He closed his quickly and then opened them again, more slowly. The light wasn't as bad this time and he gave a small sigh of relief. He saw a woman standing next to his bed, watching his ordeal with waking up. She gave him a kindly smile and had a polished stick in one hand.

Ed realized he was in a hospital. Kind of primitive, nicely furnished and very clean, but Ed could not see anything that looked even remotely like anything he was familiar with. "Where the hell am I?" Ed asked the woman, who looked like a nurse, standing next to him.

Watching her face revealed that Ed was in something even bigger that he knew as he watched her face as he spoke. Her face showed clear confusion at his words. The woman gave the stick in her hand a wave over him and gently pushed him back down into the bed when he tried to leap out of it at the motion. Feeling and seeing nothing happen to him, he was puzzled as the nurse gave a frown and then walked over to a cabinet to retrieve a bottle filled with a fizzy liquid. She gave it to him and made a gesture to show that she wanted him to drink it. Ed shook his head.

"No way lady. I have no clue where I am, what the hell is in this bottle or even who you are! Whatever that stuff is could kill me!"

The nurse frowned and again tried to get him to drink the fizzy liquid. Ed again refused with more vehemence. "Do you not understand no? I'm not drinking anything until I know where I am and what is!"

The nurse frowned and took the bottle back. She set it on the small table that was nearby and made her displeasure clear as she stalked off to a small office that was a few feet away. Ed could hear her talking to someone inside and that is when it hit him what had been so strange about the voices he had heard earlier. He couldn't understand a word that they were saying. Even the accents sounded off to his ears. Ed felt a cold chill creep down his spine.

******

After what seemed to be an eternity Ed could someone coming from outside the room he was stuck in. He had tried to get out of the bed only to discover that something was wrong with his automail. Afraid that whatever had happened to him had damaged the limbs in some way, Ed had stopped trying to get them to move and instead tried to plan on getting back home to Al and Winry and Granny Pinako.

The door opened and he caught a glimpse of a long stone hallway and the barest hint of something metallic. Turning his focus from that to the person who had came in, he could feel his jaw drop. The old man had a long white beard that was tucked into the belt at his waist. His nose was crooked like it had been broken at some point and he wore half-moon spectacles. He looked positively ancient. His bright blue eyes twinkled at Ed. Ed finally managed to tear himself away from staring only to be stopped by the outfit that the old man wore. It was a bright purple that was atrocious. There were faint sparkles that could be seen as the folds of the robe moved. Ed felt like he had stepped into the pages of the kind of books he hadn't read since he was a child.

The old man had stopped next to Ed and seemed to be giving him the same once over that Ed had been giving to him. Ed had never wished harder that his automail was working and not seemingly broken. He shifted uncomfortably in the bed as the old man seemed able to see right through him.

"Are you just going to keep staring or you going to say something, old man?" Ed challenged.

The old man gave a small chuckle and then pulled out a stick from somewhere in the many folds of his robe. Ed wondered what it was about this place and people having polished, shiny sticks. The stick waved over him and Ed could feel something wash over him. It instantly put him on the alert.

"What did you just do to me!"

"I merely cast a temporary charm that could allow you to understand me and for me to understand you. That is all. Now, to business. I am Albus Dumbledore. Who might you be?"

Ed glared at the man. He could certainly understand what the old guy was saying. He just couldn't figure out how someone waving a stick at him could do it. "Edward Elric," he mumbled sullenly at the blankets. "Where the hell am I? And how did I get to this freaky place?"

Dumbledore gave Ed a considering look before answering. "This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As to how you got here, I was hoping that you could answer that. Do remember anything that led to you appearing here?"

Ed's mind went blank. Witchcraft? Wizardry? There was no way. That was impossible. Magic did not exist. There was only science, even in alchemy. Something could not appear from nothing. It wasn't impossible! "No. Stop joking and _tell me where I really am, damn you!_" Ed felt the confusion and fear mount inside him as he spoke and transform into rage.

Dumbledore didn't even appear to be taken aback at the abrupt mood change in Ed. "I can assure you, my boy, that magic does indeed exist and this is an institution where young witches and wizards learn how to use it."

"Prove it then! Show me that magic exists!"

Dumbledore looked to be amused at Ed's insistence that magic was a sham, but obligingly pulled his wand out again. "Very well. _Wingardium Leviosa_!" As he spoke the words, he pointed the wand at a small vase of flowers by one of windows. The vase slowly and steadily rose into the air and then hovered agreeably a few feet above the sill.

Ed felt like something had punched a hole into his chest. How was this happening? There were no strings or wires that he could see holding the vase in place. He could feel blood rush through his veins as he tried to work out how the trick worked. When no obvious solution presented itself, he collapsed against the pillows and glared at the old man who seemed determined to toss his world upside down.

"Satisfied? Perhaps now you can tell me whether you remember anything about how you may have arrived here."

"I don't know. I remember walking down the street with my brother when suddenly there was…" Ed trailed off as he realized that really he wasn't sure how he had got here. He could remember seen the transmutation array, the bright flashes of light as the reaction occurred but after that? Blank until he woke up here, where people seemed to believe in magic.

"Yes? What was there?"

"A flash of light. Then nothing. At least not until I woke up here. Where is here anyway? Besides apparently being a magic school?"

"Hogwarts is located in Scotland. And you? I don't believe I have ever heard the language you speak before."

Scotland? Ed had never heard of any place called Scotland. What had happened to him? Ed felt a sudden fear that he would never be able to get back and be able to restore Al's body to him. "Amestris. I've never heard of 'Scotland'." Ed carefully sounded out the strange word.

"Well I have never heard of Amestris before. Though I will admit there are many things I don't know, though this seems to surprise many people. Well, young Edward, I will let you get some rest. However you got here, it cannot have been a pleasant trip. I will come by again tomorrow."

Ed released a huge sigh as Dumbledore walked out. He leaned against the head rest of his bed and looked over at the vase of flowers sitting innocently on the window sill.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimers: Found in Ch.1

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but this chapter refused to be written without fight. Combined with my laziness this chapter took a little while to write. I would also like to send thanks to all the reviewers. I honestly never expected this story to get as many as it has. Also, special thanks to **Monkey Mist Robo** who beta read this chapter. Also, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. It's again a lot dialogue, but Draco makes an appearance!

Harry woke up the next morning with a groan. He felt sore, like he had carried something far too heavy for far too long. Groaning again, he tiredly rubbed his shoulder. Putting his glasses on, he looked around the dorm. He saw that he was the only one awake. Shrugging, he managed to get up, grab some robes, and make his way to the bathroom.

Coming out a few minutes later, he looked over at the bed that was currently housing his sleeping guest. The boy shifted in his sleep, and a small frown marred his face. Wondering what the boy could be dreaming about, Harry went over to Ron and shook him awake. "C'mon Ron, you gotta get up if you want to be able to eat breakfast before class." The red headed boy grunted and rolled over.

Knowing he would get up in a few minutes, Harry made his way over to Ed. Again the boy seemed to be dreaming of something upsetting. Harry sighed and then gently shook Ed to wake him. He was surprised to see the boy jerk upright and bring his hand up as if to hit him. Harry jerked back and stared wide eyed at the boy who was staring at him in confusion.

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Ed stared at a dark haired boy wearing glasses that had seemingly woken him up. To say that Ed was confused would have been an understatement. He had no where he was or why he was there. Shaking his head slightly, Ed looked around. He seemed to be in a dorm or barracks.

The boy that had woken Ed up asked him a question that he didn't understand. Shrugging at the boy to indicate that he didn't understand, Ed tried to get up. Only to discover that his automail limbs didn't work. Groaning, Ed cursed under his breath. His memories came rushing back to him. He was in a school, his automail didn't work, and he had to carted around by some kid. Sometimes it really felt like some deity hated him.

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Harry watched as realization came upon Ed. Harry could sigh heavily as he realized that there was a language barrier once more. Pointing his wand at Ed, Harry cast a charm that made Ed's clothes look they hadn't just been slept in. Walking over to Ed, he tried to signal he help him downstairs. Seeing Ed nod in acknowledgement, he helped the boy stand. Managing to make their way downstairs to the common room, Harry saw Hermione already there.

Harry sighed in relief. If there was anyone who would know a charm to make understand them, it was Hermione. Hobbling over, Harry set Ed down in a chair and then sat down himself. "Hermione, the spell Snape cast yesterday to make Ed understand us wore off."

Hermione looked over at Ed and then waved her wand at him and muttered under her breath. "I don't it's as powerful as the one Snape cast yesterday, but it should last at least for a couple of hours." Harry nodded in understanding and then looked up as he heard Ron coming down the stairs, talking to Seamus and Dean about the upcoming Quidditch match.

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Ed watched silently as a bushy haired girl waved a stick at him and he could understand the language around him again. Ed was trying to remain calm, but all the blatant impossibility going on around him was about to drive him insane. He just couldn't understand how the portraits could be moving, how people could just wave a stick and suddenly be able to understand a whole new language, or how waving a stick could accomplish anything! Alchemy could never manage to do anything that he was seeing and Ed was hard pressed to understand anything that was currently going on.

Looking over at the boy who had summoned him here, Ed quickly got his attention. "What the hell is going on here? I mean portraits don't just move, sticks shouldn't make me understand your language, and people aren't just summoned!" Ed spoke this rather heatedly.

Harry looked surprised at Ed's outburst. At a loss for how to answer, the girl next to him did it for him. "It's only magic," the girl patiently explained to him. Ed growled. These people acted as if magic was a logical explanation to everything.

Shaking his head angrily, Ed glared at the girl. "Magic isn't real! There's gotta be a logical explanation for this. Otherwise..." Ed trailed off. Harry and the girl looked puzzled.

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Ron had just walked over to join Harry, Hermione, and the new boy Ed, and was startled to hear Ed's last statement. Looking over at Harry and Hermione, he could see they were just as puzzled by Ed. Sitting next to Harry, Ron asked Ed the question that was on all their minds. "Otherwise what?"

Ed looked up, as though surprised that they were still there. "Nothing. I was just thinking."

Harry was troubled by Ed's answer. When Ed had said that there had been anger, hurt, and pain laced in his voice.

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Looking at three faces full of disbelief, Ed changed the subject. "So, who are the other two, Harry?"

Harry seemed to be confused by the abrupt turn in the conversation before realizing he hadn't introduced his best friends yet. "Oh, this is Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Hermione, Ron, this is Edward Elric, or Ed for short." Introductions done, Harry watched as Hermione leaned forward with a gleam in her eye.

"Ed, I was just wondering why your arm and leg don't seem to work. I mean your right leg and left arm work fine, so why would your right arm and left leg just stop like that?"

Ed shifted uncomfortably, or shifted as best he could anyway. Glancing over at a portrait, Ed sighed heavily before answering. "I can't tell you that. It's classified."

Bafflement crossed her face before a look of understanding dawned. Looking sharply over at the trio he could see they were communicating silently.

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Ed had been deposited at the library and the three who had helped him to get there had left. Madam Pince, the librarian, was more than happy to help Ed get books, but admonished that he should be quiet at all times. Bemused, Ed opened a thick leather bound book, titled Magical Means of Summoning. Quickly becoming absorbed, Ed lost track of time. So he was surprised when he felt someone gently shaking him. Looking up he saw Madam Pince, holding a tray with food on it.

"Edward, I thought you might like a bit of lunch. You've been sitting there all morning, barely moving except to switch books." The librarian smiled kindly down at Ed.

Blinking, Ed could only nod. Setting the tray down in front of Ed, Madam Pince quickly went to go back to her own lunch. Looking down at the tray Ed saw a chicken sandwich, some chips, and a drink that was orange. Picking the drink up, he sniffed it cautiously. It smelled slightly spicy and like pumpkins. Taking a sip, Ed grimaced. Tasted like pumpkins too. Eating quickly, Ed resumed his research.

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Harry had been distracted all through his classes. He could tell that Ron was as well. Harry could only think what Ed might be hiding about his limbs. He had told Ron and Hermione last night at dinner the conversation that Ed and Dumbledore had last night. Hermione had been fascinated that he was in the military and that where he claimed to be from apparently didn't exist. Ron had just been darkly suspicious, saying that he could be from You-Know-Who.

Hermione had just shaken her head, asking Ron how that could be since Harry was the one to summon him. Hermione had also wanted to go to the library right away, but Harry and Ron had prevented her, saying she could go the next day. Smiling slightly at Hermione's eagerness to do research, Harry was startled when Ron tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, mate, bell just rung. Time to go."

Quickly gathering his things and stuffing them in his bag, Harry and Ron left the classroom. Chatting quietly, they made their way to the Great Hall where Hermione was already eating. She had a large book in front of her and was reading intently. Sitting on either side of her, Ron was the first to speak. "So Hermione, what are you reading this time?"

Looking up, surprised, Hermione looked like she had been reading intently for some time. "Oh, it's just about summoning potions. I thought if I could pinpoint the exact one that Harry used it could help Ed in his research. He was so focused on reading that he didn't even notice I was there. Madam Pince said that the only time he stopped reading was when she brought him some lunch. It looked like he had gone through quite a few books already."

Harry and Ron looked at each other, stunned. Ed didn't look like the type that could sit still for any amount of time without something occupying him. And research didn't look like something Ed would be good at. Especially since he was in the military. Ron shook his head. "Never thought a soldier and research went together," he said.

Hermione 'tsked'. "Honestly, Ron, you know there are scientists in the military too. He might be a scientist. From what Harry told us about his conversation with Dumbledore, and from what I saw, Ed actually seems to be really intelligent. Especially if he got into the military at the age of twelve."

"He might be smarter than you, Hermione," Ron teased.

Hermione glared at Ron. Harry sighed and jumped into the conversation before they could get into another argument. "Hermione, I was wondering if you had put any thought into why Ed's arm and leg don't work.

Glancing over at Harry, she nodded. "Actually, the only known instance of anything just stopping like that once they were near or inside of Hogwarts is muggle electronics. But his limbs couldn't be electronic, so I don't know what it could be. Maybe he has some type of implants?"

Harry nodded thoughtfully while Ron just looked confused by the latest turn in the conversation. "Implants? What are those?"

"Like chips or something. Medical achievements might be more advanced wherever it is he comes from. Maybe something happened to his arm and leg and the implants helped to keep them operable, but when he arrived here they stopped working."

"Chips? Why would he have chips in his arms and legs?" Ron questioned.

"Not like the food. Muggles have these tiny electronic devices that are grafted to tissues and can help with various medical problems," Hermione explained.

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Ed didn't notice when someone entered the library and walked over to his table. In fact, he didn't look up till he heard someone clear their throat impatiently and tap the table. When Ed finally did look up he saw a white-blonde haired boy whose skin was almost unnaturally pale. The boy had a pointed face and an air of superiority about him.

Confused as to why the boy would approach him, Ed looked at the boy curiously. When the boy spoke, Ed realized that he didn't understand a word coming out his mouth. Cursing under his breath, Ed realized that he needed to either learn the language or get a permanent translation spell.

Looking at the boy, who seemed to be waiting for a response, Ed only shrugged and tried to tell him that he didn't understand. Seeing that the boy was looking disgusted, Ed stopped him and motioned for him to get Madam Pince. The boy seemed to understand and then left. The boy came back a few minutes later with the librarian following. Ed mimed that she needed to cast a spell. She seemed puzzled until the boy spoke to her. Nodding slightly, she waved her wand and Ed could understand the language again. Seeing that it was successful, Madam Pince left.

"Sorry about that. I don't speak your language yet. What was it you were saying earlier?"

"I was just introducing myself. I'm Draco Malfoy. I was wondering of you were a guest here at Hogwarts."

Ed nodded. "For the time being. I believe you were there when I was brought here?"

Draco Malfoy looked surprised. "That was you? Unfortunately I was in the back and so I didn't get a good look. Are you a wizard?"

Ed shook his head. "No. I don't possess any 'magic'. I still find it hard to believe that magic even exists. I'm still not even sure how I was brought here in the first place."

Ed could see that Malfoy was looking like he had something vile. "You're a muggle? I thought muggles couldn't see Hogwarts."

Ed was confused. What was a muggle? It was something he had never heard before. "What exactly is a muggle?"

"A person who can't use magic," Malfoy said with a grimace. He looked like he wanted to bolt as soon as possible.

Shaking his head Ed shrugged. "I guess I am then."

At the confirmation, Malfoy sneered and stalked away from Ed. Ed sighed at the obvious prejudice form the boy and then resumed his reading. A few minutes he was once again disturbed. This time by the Headmaster.

"Mr. Elric, I hear that you have not yet had a permanent translation spell provided for you. I was wondering of you would like one."

Ed looked at the Headmaster. The man had struck Ed as being shrewd and cunning. Not being able to see anything else behind the comment, Ed nodded his agreement. "Yes. It's annoying to have one cast on me every couple of hours."

Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle at the statement. "Well, a permanent spell cannot be cast on someone who is a muggle, but there is a way around that. We can cast it on an object, and then all you have to do is wear said object."

"By wearing the object, it's as if the spell was cast on me?" Ed questioned.

Dumbledore nodded. "Well do I get to pick the object?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Unfortunately, I took the liberty of already having the entire thing prepared. All you have to do is wear this," Dumbledore said, bringing out a small earring.

"Old man, in case you haven't noticed, my ears aren't pierced."

Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "It's a clip on Mr. Elric." Dumbledore handed the earring over to Ed. Ed was slightly skeptical about the whole thing. He wasn't really partial to wearing any jewelry, and the earring didn't appeal to him at all.

"Did it have to be an earring?"

"I think it will go very well with your outfit, Mr. Elric."

Sighing, Ed clipped the earring to his ear and instantly, Ed could feel a wash of magic. Shuddering slightly at the feeling, Ed looked at Dumbledore. "Have you thought of any way to get my arm and leg working again? It's getting very irritating to be carried everywhere."

Dumbledore abruptly looked serious before taking a seat at Ed's table. "Mr. Elric, I have been researching that problem. I believe that there is only one solution. Somehow, we get another temporary power source for your limbs. I believe magic is the only on the work while you are at Hogwarts. However, I have no idea what the normal power source for automail is."

Here Ed grinned. "Headmaster, the normal power source is me. You know that humans have a very low level electrical current running through them. Since automail is connected directly to the nerves that current in the human body is also what powers the automail. I can only assume that the current is slightly amplified in the automail to make it work."

Dumbledore looked surprised at this new information. "Why, that is positively brilliant! Use the normal current in the human body, amplify it and you have a power source that never needs to be replaced!"

Ed was amused by Dumbledore's excitement. "Does that help in figuring out how to get a new power source?"

"Yes. I believe that by tomorrow I will have a way to give you a temporary power source. Well Mr. Elric, I must be going now. I have a meeting to attend to." With that Dumbledore took his leave.

Ed grinned. Hopefully before the week was out his automail would once again be functional.

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A/N: If I was inaccurate about anything I wrote about low level current in the human body….well I don't care. It's a fanfic not an article for a scientific journal.

Leave a review! It's good exercise to hit that little button at the bottom of the page. Gives your finger a workout.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimers: Found in Ch. 1

It was bright in the classroom Ed had been brought to. He was supposed to get a new power source for his automail. The Headmaster had decided that a 'magical' battery was the best choice, but the only one capable of installing anything into something muggle-made was the Muggle Studies teacher, a Professor Hoag. However, to install anything into automail, it had to be detached.

Bracing himself for the pain, Ed only tensed and grunted when his arm was removed. He wasn't prepared when his leg was removed. Eyes widening, Ed jerked and bit his lip to prevent the scream.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You couldn't tell me you were about to detach my damn leg? That damn well hurts!"

The Headmaster looked surprised. Professor Hoag looked up shocked.

"What? And watch your language. Even if you aren't a student this is still a school!"

"I said you should have warned me that you were about to take my leg off. It damn well hurts!" Ed stared at the Professor defiantly.

Dumbledore chose this moment to speak. "I wasn't aware that automail was so painful."

"I told you, Headmaster, that automail is connected directly to the nerves. Of course it's going to be painful."

Professor Hoag looked slightly ecstatic. "And this is muggle technology? This is absolutely fascinating! I have never seen a prosthetic as advanced as this!"

Ed looked at Hoag warily. The man sounded like Winry when she saw something she wanted to take apart. A pang of loneliness swept through Ed. He missed everyone from home. Shaking his head to clear it, he focused back on Hoag.

"You are not going to mess with my automail. Install the battery and then reattach it to me." Hoag looked crestfallen, then affronted. Muttering, he walked to a table and then started to work. Ed just sat, staring at the wall. He missed Al, Winry, Granny Pinako, hell, he even missed the military.

"Mr. Elric, it appears that you are deep in thought. Anything you would like to share?"

Ed jumped as his train of thought was interrupted. Looking up to see the Headmaster, Ed shrugged. "Just thinking about how much I wish I was home."

Ed felt the old man's boring into him. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Ed looked at Hoag. "Are you sure he won't do anything to my automail?" Ed questioned.

Dumbledore looked at Hoag. "He won't do anything I am sure, Mr. Elric. He is the only one capable of even doing this. He has studied muggle mechanics since he attended Hogwarts. The closest thing to a mechanic we have." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he watched Hoag. "It is why he is so fascinated by your automail. It is something he has never seen before and he wants to study it. And you are also a wealth of information that Professor Hoag would like to access. You are muggle yourself, and this is a very rare opportunity for him."

Ed narrowed his eyes. "I'm not some lab animal waiting to be experimented on." Looking up at the Headmaster, Ed felt another question pop into his head. "I was wondering, Headmaster, how it is that I can see Hogwarts. Everything I have learned about magic, "Ed said this with distaste," indicates that I shouldn't be able too."

Dumbledore smiled. "It is because you completely bypassed our Muggle repelling charms. In fact, any muggle can see Hogwarts if they are accompanied by a witch or wizard to get them past those charms."

Ed nodded as he absorbed the new information. "Hey, Professor, when are you going to be finished?" Ed demanded of Hoag.

Hoag looked over his shoulder irritated. "I'm almost done. I just need to finish screwing the plates back on."

Ed grunted in annoyance. He was getting impatient and wanted to return to his research. After about another ten minutes, he noticed that Hoag was walking towards him. "About damn time," he muttered. "If you don't mind, do you think that you could reattach both limbs at the same time?"

Dumbledore and Hoag both nodded at the same time. Dumbledore took the arm and Hoag the leg. Positioning themselves, they counted to three. Ed threw his head back, bit his lip and let out a muffled scream. He sat there panting, till the pain had faded to a dull ache.

The two men had looks of sympathy for Ed. Ed grunted in annoyance again. Slowly standing up he flexed his arm and then each finger. After checking that his leg worked too, heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally can move on my own again. I don't have to rely on some kids to haul me around," he said happily. "I'm just glad the professor here didn't completely ruin my arm and leg."

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Harry and Ron had been puzzled when they were told to drop Ed off in the Muggle Studies classroom instead of the library. Harry had wondered why and his curiosity only peaked upon learning that morning classes of Muggle Studies had been canceled. Ron and Hermione had been equally curious, but had told him that he would find out why later. Hermione had even suggested that it had to do with his arm and leg to help make them work again. Ron had snorted, and managed to almost ruin the potion they were brewing.

Harry had ignored both of them after that. He was still stunned that he had managed to summon the boy. Hermione hadn't yet managed to identify the exact potion he had used, but was positive that she was getting closer to it.

Ed had remained distant, and rarely spoke about himself. Shaking his head slightly as the bell rang, Harry gathered his things and walked out of the classroom.

Ron and Hermione were slightly ahead of him and were bickering. Smiling at his friends, he sped up to catch them. "You know, you two always sound like an old married couple." Ron and Hermione glared at him.

Entering the Great Hall for lunch, they saw Ed already there. He was sitting at the Gryffindor table and eating. He was also using his right hand. The trio looked at each other, shocked. Hurrying over to him, they sat across from him.

He looked up as they all sat down and didn't seem to be too surprised. "So you're finally here. The Headmaster said the students would be getting here soon."

Hermione was staring at Ed's right arm avidly. "Your arm works," she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I got it fixed today. My leg too."

"What was wrong?"

Ed stonily stared at Hermione. "That is none of your business," he said curtly.

Ron was fixing himself a plate when he stopped to glare at Ed. "No need to speak to her like that. She was just asking a question."

Ed snorted. "She was prying into something that doesn't concern her. All three of you have been. Some things you should just let go. You don't need to know everything."

Hermione looked like she was torn between curiosity and anger. Harry and Ron, however, were getting angry. "Maybe we have a good reason to be prying," Harry retorted.

Ed looked at Harry closely. "I may have only been here for a few days, but I already know about you. You've had it rough, but you aren't the only one either," Ed replied scathingly. "Sure is funny though how all you want is privacy, but you can't even give that to other people."

With that Ed stood and stalked out of the Great Hall.

----------------

Ed was angry at the three who had taken it upon themselves to pry into his life. They were nosy and didn't even have the decency to be subtle about it. Ed was not the poster boy for subtle, far from it in fact, but even he could see that they were determined to discover who he really was.

Finding himself in front of the library doors, Ed took a deep calming breath and entered quietly. Greeting Madam Pince, she exclaimed upon seeing him able to walk. "Edward! I see that you finally resolved the problem with your limbs. It's so good to see finally able to walk. Before you ask, all the books that you requested are already on your table."

Ed nodded to show his appreciation. "Thanks, Madam Pince." Walking over to his table Ed sat down and slowly pulled over a book. Quickly finding the place he had left off, he lost track of time.

----------------

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were left in the Great Hall stunned at Ed's outburst. Harry was troubled by what Ed had said. It was true that he just wanted privacy. He just wanted a normal life that didn't involve being the one that was supposed to beat Voldemort. He didn't want the media hounding him. Unfortunately, Ed seemed to want the same thing, but he wasn't willing to share anything about his life before he got here. This served to make Harry suspicious about who Ed really was. Ed wasn't the one with a homicidal megalomaniac after him. Harry had learned to be suspicious of people who just popped up into his life. And Ed hadn't provided any information to ease Harry's unease.

Hermione slowly roused herself enough to serve herself some food and slowly start eating. Looking over at Harry she could see that he was in a state of deep contemplation. Ron was already back to eating but continued to look troubled. Hermione knew that Ed was hiding something, but this only made her more curious to find out.

Harry jerked when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Hermione was looking at him worriedly. Smiling at her, he answered her unspoken question. "I'm fine. Really. It's just Ed gave me a lot to think about."

"Well you still need to eat. You didn't eat much at breakfast."

Harry smiled again at Hermione's worry and served himself some food. Eating made him feel a little better, but he was still troubled by Ed's words.

----------------

Ed snapped the book shut and scowled down at it. He had been researching magical theory but nothing he had read so far made any sense to him. All of the things he had learned about magic made the sacrifices that he and Al had gone through seem worthless.

He had also learned from Professor Snape the summoning potion that had brought him here. Apparently, the potion that Harry had made summoned something that would protect the brewer from whatever said brewer felt was a danger to him. Snape had also provided that Potter most likely felt that he needed to be protected from someone he called the Dark Lord. Snape had refused to explain who the Dark Lord was, so Ed had researched him. The so called Dark Lord was apparently a dark wizard trying to exterminate all muggleborns.

Ed sighed heavily. His eyes were starting to hurt from reading such small, cramped writing. He had another question he wanted to answer. First, though, he had to find somewhere private.

Getting up quickly he left the library. In the course of the three days he had been here, he had learned the way from the Gryffindor Common room to the library, from the library to the Great Hall, and he would check along those routes first for an abandoned room. After about 30 minutes of searching he found what he wanted. It was an abandoned classroom, had a layer of dust a few inches thick, and was practically invisible unless you were looking.

Slipping in, he held a coat sleeve in front of him to prevent breathing in too much dust. Closing the door softly, he walked to the center of the room. As the dust that he had disturbed settled, he slowly brought his hands together as if he were about to clap. Hesitating slightly, he looked at his hands and breathed deeply to settle his nerves.

----------------

Harry sighed in relief as Transfiguration finally ended. The class had been exhausting as they were required to do all transfigurations silently. Only Hermione had succeeded. Harry groaned at the thought of the essay McGonagall had assigned. He would need to stop by the library to get the research material he needed.

But first he was going to go to dinner before even thinking about doing homework. Ron poked him trying to get his attention.

"Harry! Have you heard anything I've been saying to you?"

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Err...no. What was it you were saying, Ron?"

Ron glared at his friend. "Harry! I was saying that the Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin was going to be played next weekend. Ravenclaw has a new seeker since Cho Chang broke her arm during practice a few weeks ago."

Harry nodded. "Yeah I heard about that. Heard she fell about 20 feet. Do you know who the new seeker is?"

Ron shook his head. "No. They're keeping pretty quiet about it. The only thing I've heard is that it's a fifth year. Slytherin will probably win, damn it. Chang is Ravenclaw's best seeker. I just don't see how a seeker they've only had a few weeks can be as good as Chang. Unless they're like you, Harry. A natural."

Harry chuckled at Ron's comment about him. "Slytherin might have a better chance to win, but I still wouldn't rule Ravenclaw out yet. They might just devise a strategy that will compensate…," Harry trailed off. He had seen a flash of blue just out of the corner of his eye. Hermione had also stopped and was looking in the same direction as Harry was. Ron was looking at both of them, confused.

"What are you both looking at?"

Harry still looking at a rather grimy section of the wall answered. "I thought I saw a flash of blue light or something over there. Did you see it too Hermione?"

Hermione nodded. "It kinda flickered and then disappeared." Hermione strode over to the wall and started to scrutinize it. After seeing nothing that could let out a blue flash of light, she walked back over to them. "I don't see anything that could have flashed, but I'm sure that I saw it," she stated.

Harry nodded. They started walking again, but this time in silence.

----------------

Ed clapped. Then his left hand gripped his right arm and a blade appeared. Ed heaved a sigh of relief. He could still do alchemy. Ed transmuted his arm back to normal when he paused. Footsteps and voices had stopped in front of the door. Freezing, he waited with baited breath as he heard a single person approach the door. Waiting for it to open, he listened closely. The voices were muffled and distorted. He heaved a sigh of relief as he heard them continue walking on.

Pulling his glove and then jacket back on, Ed left the room as quietly has he had entered.

Opening his pocket watch, Ed checked the time and grimaced. It was dinnertime. That meant he would have to face those three kids again. At least he didn't feel like punching them anymore.

Making his way to the Great Hall was more difficult than he had imagined. Students kept staring at him and whispering. Ed continued to walk on, trying not to show his nervousness. Reaching the Great Hall proved to be harder than he thought. Students were crowded in the Entrance Hall, craning their necks to see what was causing the obstruction of traffic. Ed glared in annoyance.

----------------

The trio had reached the doors to the Great Hall only to witness the doors closed with a piece of parchment tacked to the doors.

Approaching the doors and consequently the parchment, Hermione read the notice slowly.

_**Attention All Students**_

_**Dinner will be held in the common rooms for each house.**_

_**Also, all detentions for tonight have been canceled.**_

The trio looked at each other, confused. Never before had dinner been held anywhere other than the Great Hall. They slowly turned to start the walk back to the common room only to bump into Neville.

"Hey Neville," Ron said. "Dinner is going to be held in the common room tonight. Also, you're detention with Snape's been canceled for tonight."

Neville looked at the trio confused. "What do you mean?"

"There's a notice posted saying that dinner is in the common rooms and all detentions are canceled. Dunno why. Doesn't give a reason," Ron replied.

Neville's face scrunched up in thought. After a moment however he shrugged his shoulders and turned to follow the trio back up the way to the common room.

----------------

Ed walked up to a student that was standing on the edge of the crowd. "Hey what's going on? Why isn't anyone entering the Hall?"

The student looked at Ed confusedly. "Um, you aren't a student are you?"

Ed looked at the student, irritated. "No, but I am a guest in the castle. So, why isn't anyone entering the Hall?"

The student shuffled as she heard Ed's reply. "Sorry, sir, but dinner is going to be held in the common rooms tonight." The girl hurried to leave as Ed's stare turned disbelieving. He could only wonder what was going on that had caused this to happen. Turning swiftly, Ed stalked towards the Gryffindor common room.

----------------

Headmaster Dumbledore and the staff were in the Great Hall clustered around something that was on the floor. Many of the teachers looked like they were trying not to vomit. Snape was eyeing the headmaster surreptitiously, watching as many emotions flickered over his face. The one constant emotion however was anger.

"I am afraid that we must clean this up quickly. The students will already be curious as to why they were not allowed to eat here tonight. Severus and Poppy, I will need you to examine the body."

Poppy was eyeing the body with a clinical eye, though she was slightly green in the face. Snape merely nodded. He took a vial from his pocket and carefully bent down. Filling the vial with some of the blood that had pooled on the floor, he capped it, and proceeded to pocket it again. Poppy had already conjured a stretcher and levitated the body on to it.

Many teachers did vomit as they saw what had been underneath the corpse.

----------------

A/N: And so ends my longest chapter! Aren't we all curious as to who was killed and what was underneath said victim?

Thanks to Monkey Mist Robo for beta reading again. Also, before anyone starts to think that Hoag will be a major character, think again. I cannot foresee him ever coming back into the story again, but I might be wrong. I only needed him to install the battery into Ed's automail. After all, who is more than likely to have studied mechanics that the Muggle Studies teacher? There's not much known about the teacher, so I picked a name, made him a little bit like Mr. Weasley, and voila! A character that has a small, but useful role. And if anyone was wondering why it hurt to detach the automail…it's just because I thought that it would also hurt to detach as well as attach.

And Ed can still do alchemy! If you were wondering why he didn't try before it was because: a) his arm was broke. A little awkward to move your arm into a position that you can put your hands together to form the circle, and b) he wanted to do it privately. After all, he hasn't told anyone that he is an alchemist. Ed's keeping pretty quiet about what he can do. And he never had a chance before now. Someone was always nearby and they might see the light from the transmutation, even if he drew the array.

Anyway, you know the drill by now. So hit that wonderful button that lets you leave a review. You'll appease the insatiable hunger of my greed for reviews if you do.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimers: Found in Ch.1

A week later and Ed was frustrated. He had found nothing that mentioned Amestris as a country, even in the past, and he had three students that were determined it seemed to follow his every movement. He also found himself wishing for Al, if only so that he could just talk to somebody without having to hide anything. Though he could use a sparring match to relieve some of the frustration he felt.

Marking his place in various different books, most on Potions theory, world history, and atlases, Ed stood and stacked the books on the table.

Entering the Great Hall, Ed sat down beside a red headed girl that was talking animatedly to the three that insisted on being his keepers. Silently filling his plate with food, he looked over at the girl next to him and wondered if she was Ron's sister.

"Ed!"

Ed looked up and noticed that Hermione had noticed his presence. The red headed girl stopped talking and looked over at him. She seemed surprised that Ed was actually at the table. Harry and Ron had also looked up in response to Hermione's exclamation.

"Hey," he grunted.

The red headed girl looked at Ed, curious. "So you're the mysterious visitor I've heard so much about. I'm Ginny Weasley, by the way."

Ed glanced at her and scowled slightly. "Ed Elric."

The girl nodded and turned back to the trio. "Well, I gotta go meet Dean. I'll see you all later," she said, walking off with a wave.

---------------

Al was frantic. Brother had disappeared right in front of his eyes, and had not turned up in over a week. Al felt his worry grow as he imagined everything that could be happening to his brother. Lying dead in a ditch, being tortured, lost and confused, or even worse, just not there. Just stopped existing. It was one of Al's worst fears. That there was nothing after death, just a black emptiness where you just stopped existing. It terrified Al to think that was what faced people after death.

After Ed had disappeared, Al had rushed to Colonel Mustang's office, frantic. When he had calmed down and managed to tell his story, Colonel Mustang had started to bark out orders. Everyone snapping into action had made Al feel completely useless. He felt that he was letting his brother down by just sitting there and letting others do all the work searching for _his_ brother.

Hesitantly he had offered to help, but Lieutenant Hawkeye had told him gently that maybe he should go back to the dorms. Al had felt like arguing but it had suddenly seemed to be pointless. After all, what could he do really? Sure he could do alchemy, and maybe even research it, but without a pocket watch issued by the State, he couldn't access the library. Al felt like crying and desperately wished that he could. He hated being trapped in the armor, towering over his brother, not being able to feel, and with a memory that had gaping holes in it.

A week later and Al was no better off. He had only left the dorm room to go to the office to see if they had made any progress in finding Ed, otherwise he sat and stared at the wall or ceiling, wondering what Ed was doing. He was not going to believe that his strong, stubborn, impulsive, loud, and absolutely impossible brother was dead. He couldn't.

Al felt like crying.

-----------------

Ed Elric was still mystery to everyone. Word had spread around that there was a guest at Hogwarts and that he was staying in Gryffindor Tower. However, Harry and company were the only ones bothered by said mystery, and not titillated.

Hermione had said that Ed was a very efficient researcher and was looking into so many different subjects that it was a wonder that he was learning anything at all. Ron hadn't discovered anything particularly useful but had plenty to say about the boy. Harry had decided to take a direct approach and try asking Ed some questions.

Finding Ed was more difficult than he had realized however. While he was in the library, there were so many nooks and crannies to be in that it would take a few hours to search them all. As he was about to start a search he heard a loud thud and a quiet curse to the right. Walking in that direction took him past the front desk and into a small, brightly lit corner. Ed was sitting at a table, surrounded by books (Harry wondered if he had finally met a male Hermione) and papers. The stacks of books were taller than Harry, and he could see pieces of paper sticking out of every one. Harry cleared his throat.

Ed jumped and looked up, eyes wide. "Oh Harry. It's just you."

Harry was curious as to why Ed would be relieved that it was just him, but shrugged it off. He would probably hear about it later. "What are you researching anyway?"

Ed's face took on a troubled look. "I'm trying to find a way home. I have obligations back there."

Harry's curiosity raised it head and perked its ears. "Really? Like what?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

Harry's shoulders sagged a bit before he resumed his questioning. "How is the research going anyway? I think even Hermione is impressed at the rate you're going."

Ed shrugged his shoulders before answering. "Well there is nothing overly complicated in most of these books except for the ones covering magical theory. The biggest problem so far is that most of these books are handwritten and have very _fancy_ script," he said with some disdain. "Have you wizards never heard of the printing press? I'm surprised half of you wizards haven't gone blind trying to read this."

Harry was amused at Ed's complaint. He had had the same problem when he first came to Hogwarts. Most of the books in the library were handwritten, making it difficult for muggleborns to read anything from the library. Only recently had wizards started to print books. "It's something you get used to. Though I gotta say I wish they would republish some of these books using a printing press. Would certainly make the reading go easier."

Ed scowled furiously. "And these damn quills and inkpots. You wizards need to modernize. Get pens dammit. And regular paper. Parchment is just old fashioned, not to mention expensive. It makes me wonder how wizards get anything done if they still don't have modern writing utensils and normal paper. You'd think it hurts to move forward out of the medieval ages of writing or something," Ed ranted.

Harry snorted as he tried to hold in his laughter. He knew the pains that Ed was going through. Quills and parchment were hard to adjust to after using pens and pencils for the first eleven years of his life. But you adjusted or were left behind. Though Harry did wonder why wizards didn't use pens and paper. It was certainly easier and much more efficient. "You could try asking for some muggle pens and paper I suppose. I don't see why they would refuse you."

"Wizards are too tradition bound. No wonder half of this stuff I'm reading is pure nonsense," Ed grumbled.

"Hey Ed, I was wondering, won't your family be worried that you've disappeared?" Harry questioned.

-------------

Ed tensed and looked up at Harry sharply. "I don't have a family except for my brother." Ed replied tersely.

Harry seemed to sense Ed's mood and backed away from the subject. "Right. Well...er...I guess I'll be going then. See you later, Ed." Harry stood and made his way out of the library.

Ed sighed and slowly relaxed his shoulders. Having Harry ask about his family brought his worry straight to the front of his mind. He could only imagine what Al was going through.

Shuffling through the parchment in front of him to find a clean piece, Ed could only think about how much he missed Al.

--------------

Col. Roy Mustang was angry. Edward Elric, aka the FullMetal Alchemist, had gone missing. After a week of searching non-stop they had found no clues to where he had gone or even how he had disappeared. Alphonse's story of how he had just seemed to fade out seemed to be impossible.

If Mustang didn't know better he would think that FullMetal had just disappeared to make his life more miserable than it already was. But Alphonse was still here and was miserable. Mustang knew that FullMetal would never willingly put his brother in any pain, physical or emotional.

Stifling a sigh, Mustang tried to focus on the paperwork in front of him. It wasn't working. He could feel a headache coming on. The others in his command were working themselves to exhaustion trying to find out how the missing alchemist had disappeared and where to. Mustang wished that Hughes was still alive. He had had a knack for finding out information.

"FullMetal, where the hell are you?"

-------------------

Harry had gone back to the Tower to try and get some of his homework done. There was a particularly nasty Potions essay that he had write. Snape had seemed to be more malicious ever since the arrival of Ed. Not mention that he still had another foot and a half to write on his essay about another Goblin War in 1657.

Hermione was sitting beside the fireplace, writing. Ron was nowhere to be seen. "Hey Hermione, where's Ron?"

She looked up at Harry in surprise. "Harry! Ron's off with Seamus and Dean playing a game of Quidditch against some Ravenclaws, I think."

"Oh."

"Where have you been anyway? Ron was going to invite you but couldn't find you."

"I was in the library talking to Ed. I found out something interesting."

Hermione's face immediately lit up with interest. "What is it, Harry?"

"He's apparently an orphan and he has a brother."

Hermione's face took on a look of sympathy for the boy. "Oh, poor Ed. I wonder how they died."

Harry shrugged. "I didn't ask and he didn't tell. It seemed to be a touchy subject. He tensed up as soon as I asked if his family would be worried. I didn't ask anything further."

Hermione nodded. "Maybe it was a recent loss. Might explain why he doesn't want to talk about it."

Harry shrugged again. He didn't think Ed would ever be willing to talk about anything that involved Ed himself. He had proven himself to be an intensely private person and that didn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

---------------

Ed wearily closed the book he had been reading and rubbed his eyes. They felt tired and strained. Just thinking about reading was enough to make his eyes throb. His automail felt heavier than usual when he stood and it seemed impossible to make his way all the way up to Gryffindor Tower. Thinking of all the stairs he had to climb only made him feel even more tired.

Ed left the library and wished he knew where the kitchens were so that he could get a late night snack. Researching had always made him hungry. Groaning he began the climb to the Tower. The armor lining the corridor made him think of Al. Ed sighed heavily and just hoped that he would be able to just see him again. Ed had never liked being separated from his brother for long.

When he finally made it to the portrait of the Fat Lady and gave the password, Ed felt like he weighed a few tons. In the common room apparently doing homework was Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ed supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised. He should have known that they would have waited up for him. They acted more like babysitters than else.

"You're back later than usual, Ed. Didn't Madam Pince kick you out when she closed the library?" Hermione asked.

"No. She let me stay. Said as long as I was gone in the morning I could stay. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm exhausted."

With that, Ed went up to the dormitory and fell into bed. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

----------------

"But colonel!"

"I am sorry Alphonse but I simply cannot spare the resources to search for him full time anymore. It has been two weeks and we have yet to find so much as a hint as to where your brother could be. I will still search for him, but my office must resume its normal duties as well."

Mustang felt like an ass as Al looked crestfallen. It still escaped him how a suit of armor could look crestfallen, but somehow Al managed it. Maybe after spending almost 4 years in a suit of armor you just learned how to express emotions through said armor. He hated to turn down Alphonse, but he couldn't keep looking for FullMetal full time. His superiors were getting annoyed with him, and he had work to do. FullMetal would just have to take a back seat to other duties.

----------------

Al slowly walked back to the dorm room. He felt lost without his brother there. He was surprised that he was still allowed to even stay at the dorms still. He wasn't a member of the military like Ed, and with Ed missing they could kick him out. Al suspected that the colonel had something to do with it.

Despite his anger at the search for Ed having been slowed down, Al knew that the colonel was also concerned for his brother. He didn't like this any better than Al did but he had to follow orders. Al wondered what his brother was doing at the moment and if he was all right. Al hoped that Ed wasn't getting in trouble.

-----------------

The next morning when Ed awoke, he felt refreshed. For once he had slept soundly and he couldn't even remember dreaming. It felt like it had been years since he had that kind of sleep. Wondering what had brought it on Ed proceeded to get dressed. The other boys were still asleep. Four of five boys looked peaceful, but Harry's face was twisted up in fear. He was trembling and was muttering under his breath. Ed frowned as he saw the characteristics of a nightmare.

Ed debated whether he should wake Harry up. Ed wondered how often Harry had nightmares. This was the second time that he had seen Harry having one. Just as he reached the foot of the bed, Harry sat upright and gave a short scream.

-----------------

Sorry for the long wait and the short chapter. Hopefully the appearance of Al and Roy makes up for a little of it.

Thanks to Monkey Mist Robo for betaing


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimers: Found in Ch.1

-------------

Harry woke up, panting. He saw Ed standing over him and Harry felt an irrational trail of fear travel down his spine. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus on his dream. It was important. Looking back up at Ed brought back a trace of the fear he had felt.

"Ed, what are you doing up?"

"It's morning."

Harry pulled his glasses onto his face and blearily peered out the window. He could the sun just beginning to rise. "Right, so it is. Though, I would hardly call sunrise a decent time to be awake."

Ed merely shrugged and looked down at Harry speculatively. After a short but intense scrutiny under Ed's golden penetrating eyes, Ed turned and walked back to his bed. "Then maybe you should go back to sleep," Ed retorted. He then turned on his heel and strode out of the dormitory.

Harry stared after the strange enigma of Edward Elric, bewildered by what had just happened. It had felt like there was a whole another conversation going under the one they were having, and Harry had no idea what had been said.

Sluggishly Harry managed to stumble out of bed. He was up earlier than usual and he could feel himself just wanting to go back to bed. Even though he had slept the whole night, he hardly felt rested. Trying to not wake the others, Harry crept to his trunk and got out some clothes. Changing quickly out of his pajamas he made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Harry stared at his reflection in the mirror. A pale face with black smudges under the eyes stared at him reproachfully. Harry winced at the painful obviousness that his sleep wasn't all that restful. Harry sighed as he bent down to splash his face with cold water to wake himself up a bit more. He left the bathroom feeling a bit better than he had. As he walked by his bed on the way to the common room, he heard Ron roll over and mutter in his sleep.

In the common room he saw Ed and Hermione both sitting near the fire, reading. Smiling at the familiar sight, he made his way over to them. "Morning, Hermione, Ed."

"Morning, Harry. Is Ron up?"

"This early? No, he will probably sleep for a little while longer. Besides, it's the weekend. No harm in letting him sleep."

Hermione looked like she was about to say something then abruptly decided that it wasn't worth it. Harry shook his head before taking a glance over at Ed. He apparently hadn't moved during the entire conversation. "Hey, Ed, are you doing anything next weekend?" Harry asked.

"Probably doing more research. Why?"

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with us. That is me, Hermione, and Ron."

"Hogsmeade? The village just outside the grounds of Hogwarts?"

"Yeah. Students third year and above get to visit."

Ed looked a bit dubious.

"C'mon, Ed, it'll be fun. Besides you probably need a break from all this researching you're doing anyway. Spending all your time in the library can't be healthy."

Ed looked down at his book. Harry could see that Ed was weakening.

"Fine, I'll go. I wouldn't mind seeing something new for a change."

Hermione and Harry shared a triumphant look.

--------------------

Severus Snape and Madam Pomfrey were meeting with Dumbledore in a room that housed the two bodies found in the Great hall. Cleaned of all the blood and grime, the sight was less gruesome, but still distinctly horrible. "Headmaster, we really have nothing to report. Besides confirming that the infant is indeed the woman's, we only can tell you what caused their deaths," Madam Pomfrey stated.

Albus nodded and looked at the bodies more closely.

"It appears that the woman was stabbed once. Whatever stabbed her punctured her lungs. She drowned in her own blood. The object that stabbed her was jagged. Also she has an unusual tattoo behind her left ear. The infant however appears to have died from the Killing curse. He has no apparent mark or wound upon him. He also has a tattoo behind his left ear, though different from the mother's, they do appear related," Pomfrey reported, pointing out the tattoos.

"I would like to add that the child appeared to be able to act a vessel or container for magic. I have never heard of anything like it."

Albus bent down to inspect the tattoo on the woman. He frowned as he recognized it. It was a flamel. A snake wrapped around a cross, with wings, and a crown. He pondered on how the badge of his friend, Nicolas, could have popped up five years after his death. Though, this wasn't the first time he had seen it recently. Young Mr. Elric wore the symbol on his coat. He would have to have a talk soon with Edward Elric.

--------------

It was Monday morning and Ed was feeling restless. While he was desperate to find a way home, he also felt like he couldn't stand sitting for another minute. He stood abruptly, startling Madam Pince. He smiled at her sheepishly. She apparently had a soft spot for him, as she didn't scold him like she would somebody else. He walked over to her, boots making a dull clumping noise. "Madam Pince, do you know of anyplace where I could work out?" Ed asked her with an innocent smile.

"Work out? Well I suppose you could go out onto the grounds."

"Ah, do you know of anywhere more private? I wouldn't like the students staring at me."

Madam Pince looked puzzled for a second. "I'm sorry, Edward, but I don't. Perhaps you should ask a student. They know this castle better than anybody else. They'll know where all the best spots are."

Ed nodded in acknowledgement. He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. Perfect, class was about to end. He could corner one of the pesky trio, Ron would probably be his best choice, and ask them where a good spot would be. Smiling in thanks at Madam Pince he walked out of the library and to the Potions classroom. If he wasn't mistaken that is where Ron was right now. He reached the beginning of the corridor right as the bell rung. He stood off to the side and watched as the students streamed past him, eager to escape Snape. Spotting the tall redhead he called out. "Oi, Ron! I wanna ask you something!"

Ron looked up startled, as did Harry and Hermione. He waved for them to go on without him and they reluctantly continued to walk forward. Ron pushed and shoved his way through the crowd till he reached Ed. "Hey, Ed. Why aren't you in the library?"

"I was feeling a bit restless. I was wondering if you know of anyplace I could work out. Someplace private."

Ron studied Ed before answering. "On the seventh floor, there's a place. At the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, walk along the stretch of the wall opposite three times, thinking of what you want. A door should appear. You can work out there. It's called the Room of Requirement."

Ed looked up at Ron skeptically. He shrugged and nodded. "Thanks, Ron. I really appreciate it." He and Ron walked together for a short way before Ron left to go to class. Ed continued up to the seventh floor. When he found the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, he stared at it for a moment. He snorted. Wizards had some weird tastes in art. Proceeding to walk in front of the wall three times, thinking of what he wanted, and fully expecting that it wouldn't work, he was surprised when a door appeared in the wall. He cautiously opened it. He blinked in surprise as he saw a wide grassy field, with a few trees here and there, and a pile of junk tucked away unobtrusively in the hollow of some tree roots.

Ed felt a wave of nostalgia as he thought about the days when he had first learned how to fight. He could see Teacher, Al, and himself, with Teacher quickly taking him and Al down quickly, and afterwards instructing them how they might have done better. He and Al were both younger, and much more innocent. Not to mention Al had had his body and Ed had his arm and leg. He felt himself grimace at the unpleasant reminder of one of his reasons to get home. He had to restore Al.

Moving farther into the field, Ed began a series of exercises designed to loosen and stretch the muscles. As he finished those, he moved onto a more difficult set, speeding up his movements. Before he moved onto the next set, he stopped to discard his coat. He could feel sweat running down his face and he was slightly winded. Taking one last gulp of air, he started a series of complicated kicks and punches.

About an hour later, Ed collapsed to the ground and gasped for air. He felt pleasantly exhausted and relaxed. Something about working his body always made him feel like he accomplished something. Even though all he had really done is get rid of some energy. He sighed heavily as his breath returned to him. Looking at the heap of junk, an idea popped into existence.

--------------

Harry sighed as Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed to drag along. The teacher was droning on in a voice that reminded Harry vaguely of Professor Binns, just slightly less monotone. Fighting against the sleep threatened to overcome him, Harry was suddenly thrown back into the dream he had last night.

_He stood in a field of dirt. There was a cage in the middle of an elaborate circle. It was filled with people. There were two shadowy silhouettes standing opposite of each other outside the circle. Harry could heard a crackle of static, and suddenly he could hear. The people in the cage were weeping, pleading, screaming for mercy, their lives. The two silhouettes stood, implacable, as unforgiving as statues. Harry could feel a sense of growing horror. These two people were about to do something horrible to the people who were caged. _

_Harry shook his head and tried to find something else to focus on. He looked at the circle on the ground. It was beautiful, curving and sweeping across the brown ground. Now that Harry was inspecting it closely, he could that there even more circles and sweeping designs inside the main huge circle. Harry could hear the people's screams crescendo into a screaming hysterical wail, before being brutally cut off. The sound had gone. Whirling around as he heard the rustle of robes, he saw Voldemort. _

_He was dressed in rich black robes, with a silver trim. His red, snakelike eyes were regarding Harry with barely concealed venom. His slit nostrils flared as he breathed in deeply. Harry reached into his pocket to find his wand to protect himself and gasped heavily in fear. His wand wasn't with him. Wherever he was, whatever was happening, he had no way to defend himself. _

_"No need to fear me here, Potter. Neither of us can harm the other in this place. Being the ignorant little brat that you are, you probably don't even know what is happening." Voldemort smirked. _

_Harry ground his teeth as he resisted the urge to hex the loathsome Dark Lord. "Well, everyone can't be as persuasive as you. Never mind that you have to torture, blackmail, or bribe your way to the information." Harry's satisfaction grew and Voldemort's smirk turned into a glower. _

_As their short conversation ended, the sound snapped back to life. Harry jumped as he heard the sound of people clapping. Whirling back around, he saw the two silhouettes had clapped their hands together. When they bent and touched their hands to the circle, a light erupted and started to crackle and lash around wildly. As the light made it way to the innermost part of the circle, the screams of the caged turned into wails of horror. A few prayers could be heard, begging for mercy and forgiveness. When the light touched the cage, the wails turned into screams of agony before abruptly stopping. _

_Harry turned away, sickened. He could see Voldemort, his face contemplative. His nausea worsened as he thought of what Voldemort could possibly be planning on seeing this…atrocity. Harry might not have known what was going on but he could instinctively feel that it was horribly and terribly wrong. As he thought this, a red glow bathed the area. Harry looked up and could see a bright point of brilliant red light, descending from the sky. The two silhouettes were together now, and the taller of the two reached up and took the point of light in its hand. As the silhouette touched it the light dimmed and suddenly it was only a stone that the silhouette was holding. Harry gasped as recognition flowed over him. He knew what the stone was. He had seen it his first year, in the Mirror of Erised. _

Harry woke with a gasp and sat straight up. DADA was still going on and it seemed that only a few minutes had passed. Ron and Hermione hadn't even noticed that he fallen asleep. However Harry couldn't even begin to attempt to listen to the lecture. He could only see the shadowy hand reach up and take a Philosopher's Stone into its hand as it descended from the sky, as if it was a gift from the gods.

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Edward Elric was being unusually elusive. Albus had been trying to find him for over an hour. He had disguised his search as a stroll around the castle, but so far everywhere he had looked had turned up nothing. Normally the boy could be found in the Library, the Great Hall, or Gryffindor Tower. His frustration growing, he decided to return to his office and wait until later to have the talk with the boy. However, it seemed that someone had taken pity on him for as he rounded the corner, there was the blond boy himself, his back towards Albus, and he was hauling something. Approaching on silent feet, Albus stood behind the boy and peered over his shoulder.

"Whatever are you doing, Mr. Elric?"

The boy jumped and whirled around, dropping whatever he was carrying. "Headmaster! Make some damn noise when you walk! You can give someone a heart attack sneaking up on them like that."

"Sorry, but I am rather curious as to what you are carrying."

The boy looked down at the floor and grinned sheepishly. His left arm rubbed the back of his head as he spoke. "It's just something I found. For my research. I have an experiment I want to conduct, and this should help speed it along. Anyway, I have to get to back to the Library. Was there anything you wanted?"

Albus looked over the boy carefully. His braid was messier than usual, his coat was slightly crooked and he could smell sweat. The boy had been up to something.

"Actually, yes. I was wondering if you could come to my office. I have something I want to discuss with you."

"Right now?"

"It would be preferable."

The boy grimaced and then looked at the metal junk on the floor. Albus wondered where the boy had found it. He must have had some magical help since he couldn't just have found a bunch of metal pieces lying around the middle of the hallway

since even Hogwarts didn't just have that much metal around in a convenient pile.

"Alright. Let me just drop this off then I'll meet you at your office." With that the boy picked up the edge of the sheet and started to carefully drag it down the hallway.

--------------

As Ed dumped his own collection of random metal junk, he sighed noisily. He didn't want to go talk with the headmaster. It reminded him of talking to Mustang. He scowled at the remembrance of that bastard. Well that was one thing this place had going for it. Turning he left the Library again and trudged his way to the second floor. Upon reaching the stone gargoyle he realized he had a problem. He didn't know the password. Trying to remember what Harry had said last time was here brought a vague recollection of some strange phrases. "Dammit, just open up! I don't feel like dealing with this!"

The gargoyle gave him a glare before sliding aside. Rather grudgingly, Ed thought. He let the moving staircase take him to the door. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door swung open on its accord. He jumped a bit, before walking into the office. It was as he remembered, except with a few more gadgets here and there. He slumped into a chair and gave the headmaster a tired glare.

"What do you want?"

"Lemon drop?" Was the reply he got.

Ed's ire increased. "I don't want any candy. I want to know why I am here."

The old man's eyes looked at him and seemed to see straight through him. Unfortunately for said old man he was used to such looks from Mustang. His irritation started a slow smolder.

"I can see that you want me to get to the point so I shall be blunter than I usually am. Mr. Elric, they symbol on your back, it is a flamel?"

Ed's eyes widened in surprise. He had seen nothing that would suggest that this world had alchemy. He had never suspected that the symbol would be recognized. Even in his world, many didn't know what it meant. "Yes. Why do you wanna know?"

The headmaster's eyes took on a gleam of something that Ed couldn't identify.

Ed felt a dark foreboding as the headmaster studied him.   
"If I may inquire as to why you wear that symbol on your coat?"

Ed considered many different answers before replying. "My teacher passed it down to me. Just as her teacher passed it down to her."

"What exactly did your teacher teach you?"

Here, Ed knew that he wasn't going to risk the truth about his alchemy. "She tutored me. In my world, there is no real official schooling like this. If you want an education, you have to find someone to teach you. Otherwise, you grow up, learn what you can from your parents, find a job, and live as best you can. You don't need an education to find work with a few exceptions, of course. Me and my brother though, we wanted to learn something more."

Ed could see the headmaster eyeing him speculatively. His eyes narrowed at the sign he took as disbelief at what he said. Ed started to finger the earring he wore, something he had started because of the unfamiliar weight on his ear and had quickly become a habit.

"I see, Mr. Elric. Perhaps you could tell me a bit more about your world? I must admit that I have a small amount of curiosity about it."

It was Ed's turn to eye the headmaster speculatively. He nodded, once, sharply. "What do you want to know," he ground out.

Ed could feel his blood pressure rising as a smile spread across Dumbledore's face. He knew that the old man was searching for answers to something Ed had no idea about.

"I was wondering about just general things. Some history, maybe some politics."

"I should say that the military is a big part of life in Amestris. Our country is ruled by a military dictatorship. Fuhrer King Bradley is our current leader. Our country had had a long history of civil wars. No one really likes the military, but the branch of the military that I am associated with is pretty much despised. I work for a branch that does a lot of research and field work with practical applications of the research. So, as a consequence, we have access to libraries that no one else does. This means we also have access to material that no one does also. We are called 'dogs of the military'. Mostly because of the Ishbal Massacre. What the soldiers did there, it was a massacre. The Ishbalans had no way to defend themselves. Their people were almost wiped out because of our military. The State does not take kindly to anything that could threaten its power. It is utterly ruthless.

"The people of Amestris are kind hardworking people, overall. Some places, though, are oppressed by corrupt military officials. In those places, you will find an absolute hatred of the military." Ed stopped to take a deep breath. Everything he had revealed was common knowledge among the people of Amestris and, in fact, the people of Amestris would have known about the State Alchemists. Being so vague about something that was a part of every day life was harder than Ed would have thought. He would never have even considered trying to hide his alchemy in his own world. He was too well known for that. Besides, his pocket watch gave who he was away. "Anything else in particular?"

Ed's face was carefully blank. He could sense the maneuvering that the headmaster was doing. He was trying to extract information from him without actively questioning him. It was pissing him off.

"Earlier you mentioned that to get education you had to find a tutor. What kind of education would you receive?"

"It depends on what you want to learn. Generally any tutor you will find will be a specialist in something. Or be a master of a trade. Me and my brother, we learned mostly science. I suppose technically you would call me a scientist. Essentially, if you want to be something other than a laborer you find someone who will teach you. It's expensive but ultimately it is worth it."

Dumbledore's eyes seemed to take on a glint of triumph. Ed scowled. This conversation reeked of manipulation and he couldn't help but want to escape it.

"If that is all, I believe I will be going," Ed said as he started to stand.

"One moment, Mr. Elric. I have one more question I want to ask."

Ed reluctantly sat back down and stared at the headmaster, sullenly expectant.

"I was wondering if you could look at something and tell me your opinion."

Ed warily looked at the headmaster. "Look at what?"

"Just a few pictures."

"Maybe. Now I really have got to go," said Ed as he stood up and walked out of the office. When he reached the first floor he leaned against a wall and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Unfortunately it wasn't working. Al had a plethora of ways to calm him down and Ed didn't know how he did it.

--------------

Albus frowned as the boy left his office. The boy had barely let anything slip that was remotely useful. In fact, the only thing Albus had gained from the conversation was the boy's interest in science. Well that and some useful facts of this 'Amestris' that the boy said he was from.

----------------

Harry stumbled of Defense against the Dark Arts in a daze. Ron and Hermione seemed to finally notice that Harry wasn't quite all there. They glanced at each other from the corners of their eyes and silently agreed to leave it for now but would talk to him about it later. Instead, they surreptitiously guided him to his next class.

When Harry finally realized that he had somehow got from one class to the other with no conscious recollection of how he got there, he looked around in confusion trying to place where he was. Seeing only the familiar walls of the Transfiguration classroom brought only mild relief. He shook his head slightly in an attempt to clear the last of the fog that he had been in. But that only brought him back to many of the reoccurring thoughts that he had been having. For instance, why had he and Voldemort been able to talk they way they did? Or why had they been able to see each other. The way those damn dreams were supposed to work was with Harry along as a passenger in the dark lord's head. As much as he hated to admit it, Harry would have preferred that than this new style of dreaming. At least then he would have been doing something that was vaguely familiar.

-----------------

By the end of the week Ed was noticing the mounting excitement of the students. Even the teachers seemed to be more excited than usual. Finally, his curiosity overcame and he asked the blasted trio what had everyone worked up. Harry and Hermione exchanged surprised looks.

"Don't you remember, Ed?" Hermione asked.

"Remember what?" Ed snapped.

"You agreed to go to Hogsmeade with us this weekend. That's why the students are so excited. The teachers too except they hide it better. Mostly," Hermione said with a glance at a overly excited Professor Flitwick as he tumbled from his chair, mid sentence, while waving his enthusiastically to demonstrate the best way to mix some gilly water.

Ed looked between Harry and Hermione in disbelief. Ron was also looking at the two with shock. "What! You invited him to go to Hogsmeade with us! Why didn't you tell me!?" Ron half shouted. Harry and Hermione exchanged guilty looks.

"We're sorry, Ron. We forgot to tell you," Hermione said quietly. "You don't mind do you? It's just that we thought that maybe Ed could use a break from all that research he has been doing."

Ron looked down at Hermione and seemed to be slightly abashed. His cheeks reddened as he continued to look at her. When he looked away he shrugged his shoulders and muttered a "whatever" before resuming his eating.

Ed just looked at Ron strangely for his sudden about face and could that Ron was glaring angrily at his food. And muttering under his breath. Shaking his head at the strange behavior he continued eating his own breakfast.

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A/N: I am ALIVE!!! cackles like a mad scientist Seriously though, sorry for the long wait. I had most of this chapter written like halfway through October, and then I just kind of let it sit for like two weeks. I am such a slacker. If anyone is still reading this story I will be surprised. Also, say hello to my NEW longest chapter! chapter waves shyly It's a bit shy, so it doesn't like large gatherings.

Anyway! I would like to thank all the reviewers. You all make my day. I swear reviews are like a drug. I get a high when I read them. Wonder if there's rehab…?

Visit my profile for my updates too, few though they are, for how the story is going.

Next chapter: Hogsmeade!

Review or I'll sic my attack hippos on you!


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